Means for detecting defective can-heads.



PATENTED AUG. 7, 1906.

G. H. STEWART. MEANS FOR DETECTING DEFECTIVE CAN HEADS.

APPLICATION IILHD JULY B. 1905.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 1.

RS cm. WASHINGTON, n. c.

PATENTED AUG. 7, 190 6..

v G. H. STEWART. I

MEANs FOR DETECTING DEFECTIVE CAN HBADS+ v APPLIOATION FILED JULY 8.1905.

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UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

MEANS FOR DETECTING DEFECTIVE CAN-HEADS.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Aug. 7, 1906.

Application filed July 8, 1905. Serial No. 268,805.

To all whom, it TIMI/y concern:

Be it known that I, GEORGE H. STEWART, a citizen of the United States,residing at Los Angeles, California, have invented certain new anduseful Improvements in Means for Detecting Defective Can-Heads, ofwhichthe following is a specification.

My invention relates to the manufacture of cans; and my object is to,provide means for detecting defective can-heads and separating them fromthe structurally perfect heads, so that only heads adapted to, makeperfect joints with the can-bodies will be fed to the heading-machine.In this connection I would not have it understood that the detectormechanism is to be employed only as a part of the feed means of theheader, as it will be obvious that said mechanism may be used to sortthe good from the defective heads, whether for immediate or subsequentfeeding of said heads to the heading-machine.

Among the defects which occur in can- .heads are dents and clips, eachof which destroys the perfect circular shape of the head. My detectormechanism is adapted to automatically gage the size of the head,

'and should the dent or the clip be present the said defective head willbe discharged from the machine, and thus sorted from the perfect heads,which are carried by the mechanism to another point of discharge andpreferably directed to the feeding-point of the heading-machine.

The invention consists in the features and combination and arrangementof parts hereinaft'er described, and particularly pointed out in theclaims.

In the accompanying drawings, Figure 1 is aside view of a portion of thedetector appa ratus. Fig. 2 is a cross-sectional view substantially online 2 2 of Fig. '1 with parts in elevation. Fig. 3 is a plan view of apart of the detector mechanism. Figs. 4 and 5 are detail views in plan,showing portions of the wheels to caliper the can-head with the saidheads represented in place and in section. Fig. 6 is'a detail view ofthe discharge end of the apparatus.

The can-heads are fed into the machine through a chute 1, and theystrike first upon a pad of felt or other material surrounding asprocket-wheel 2. This felt provides ayieldr ing surface to preventdamage to the flange of the can-he ad.

In the position represented in Fig. 1 the can-head as it enters themachine falls between calipering rollers or wheels 4, carried by anendless chain 5. These calipering wheels have flanges 6, of largediameter, and between these lie the calipering surfaces or peripheries7, each having a groove '8 at one edge to receive the flared edge of thecanhead. The caliper-wheels are also provided with cylindrical portions9 to roll upon rails 10, supported by the arms 1 1 of the standards 12.The journal-pins of the caliper-Wheels extend through the links of theendless chain, and the said links are held in place by'pins 13, passingthrough the outer links and through grooves 14 in the said journal-pins.These journal-pins are reduced in diameter where they pass through theouter links, thus pro viding an eccentric relation between the twoportionsof the j ournal-pins, so that by-turning these pins by means oftheir 'kerfed heads 15 the links may be adjusted longitudinally inrelation to each other to compensate for wear, and when adjusted theinner links are fixed rigidly to the journal-pins by means of set-screws16.

The caliper-wl1eels are set at such a distance apart that theircalipering peripheries will contact with the perfect can-heads in ahorizontal plane slightly below the centers of the can-heads, so that,as shown in Fig. 1, the said can-heads will be supported between and bythe calipering surfaces of the wheels, and the said can-head will berotated, so as to bring different portions of its periphery or flangeinto contact with the said wheels. It will be necessary only to give toeach canhead a half-revolution, as one caliper-wheel will contact withone half of the periphery, and-the other caliper-wheel will contact withthe other half of the periphery of the head,

and should a dent or clip portion of the canhead be presented to eithercalipering-surface the said can-head will drop through be tween thecalipering wheels or rollers, and. thus be discharged from the machine,while if the head is perfect or suitable for making a tight oint withthe can-body throughout its entire circumference it will be carriedalong by the chain and discharged either intoa suitable receptacle forsubsequent feeding to the heading-machine or it may be discharged into asuitable feeding-trough leading to the heading-machine; but in any'casethe result will be that the perfect heads are sorted from the defectiveones.

It Will be understood that the clips .occur in can-heads by reason ofimproper cutting of the metal from the sheet of material, one cutslightly overlapping the adjacent out, so that when the metal is stampedup 'in the form of ahead with a flange the clip will occur in the saidflange, for instance, as represented at a in Fig. 5.

By reference to Fig. 4 it will be seen that the can-head is supported bythe portion of the flange at b, which overlies the corner of thecalipering periphery, the said corner being adjacent 'to the groove 8,above mentioned. As long as the flange of the head is approximatelyperfect the can-head will be supported by the caliper-wheels; but if inthe rotation of a head a clip or dent is brought to the caliper-surfacethe corner 0 will no longer support the flange at this clip or dentedportion and 'the head will be free to fall through between the caliperrollers or Wheels, as in Fig. 5. In order to properly hold thecan-heads, I provide guide-rails 17, one on each side of the path of theheads and extending parallel to and in a higher plane than the endlesschains to afford the necessary guidance to the can-heads and keep themupright, as shown in Fig. 2. These guides are supported by brackets 18from the rails 10. "The endless chains are driven by sprocketwheel 19 ona shaft 20, supported in one of the standards 12 and driven in anysuitable manner. Each sprocket-wheel is provided with arms radiatingtherefrom,having sockets 20 to receive the j ournal-pins of the endlesschains. The guide-rails 17 curve downwardly and outwardly at thedischarge end of the machine, and the perfect heads are taken from thedetector mechanism by a plate or finger 21, extending into the path ofthe heads. This finger or plate 21 may direct the tested can-heads toany suitable point. As'the can-heads are brought to the discharging-point they contact with the peripheral surface 22 of thesprocket-wheel 19, and they are thus slightly raised between the caliperwheels or rollers, and riding over the surface of the sprocket-wheel 19they are taken therefrom and from between the caliper-rollers by thefinger or plate 21.

I claim as my invention 1. In a machine of the class described,caliper-wheels adaptedto receive the can-head between them with itsperiphery in contact with the said wheels and by which the canhead issustained, if not, defective, but between which it passes, if defective,and means for imparting rotary motion to the contacting parts,substantially as described.

2. In a machine of the class described, a pair of caliper-wheels withmeans for turning the same, said wheels receiving the can-head betweenthem and supporting said head, if not defective, by its periphery whilebeing turned by the turning movement of the caliper-wheels,substantiallyas described.

3. In a machine of the class described, caliper-wheels with means forcausing them to travel and transport the can-head contacting therewithby its periphery and sustained thereby, if not defective, but betweenwhich wheels the can-head passes, if defective, and

means for imparting rotary motion to the contacting parts, substantiallyas described.

4. In combination the caliper wheels or rollers adapted to receive thecan-heads on edge between them and to support the perfect heads, meansfor carrying the caliperwheels from the receiving to the discharge pointand means for turning the said caliperwheels during their travelingmovement, substantially as described.

5. In combination in a machine of the class to support the perfectheads, an endless chain for moving the caliper-wheels, tracks forturning the caliper-wheels, said tracks engaging lateral extensions ofthe wheels, substantially as described.

7. In combination, the traveling wheels adapted to receive the can-headson edgebetween them to supportthe perfect heads and to allow theimperfect heads to drop through, and guide-rails for holding thecan-heads upright, substantially as described. I

8. In combination in a machine of the class described, a pair ofcaliper-wheels adapted to support perfect heads between them butto allowimperfect heads to drop through said caliper-wheels, each having agroove at one side of its caliper-surface to receivethe flar-, ing edgeofthe head-flange, substantially as described.

9. In combination, in a machine of the class described, sprocket-wheels,an endless-chain carrier passing'over the same, caliper-wheels adaptedto receive the can-heads between them and carried by the saidchain-carrier, means for feeding the can-heads to the caliper-wheels atone of the sprocket-wheels, said sprocket-wheel having acushioning-surface for the impact of the can-heads, substantially asdescribed. I

10. In combination the sprocket-wheels, the chain-carrier, thecaliper-wheel's thereon, one of said sprocket-wheels being adapted tolift the can-heads upwardly in relation to the caliper-wheels, the saidcan-heads being dis charged after passing over the said sprocketclassdescribed, caliper-wheels adapted to receive and support the perfectcan-heads on edge between them, an endless carrier for thecaliper-wheels and means for rotating the caliper-wheels, substantiallyas described.

12. In combination in a machine of the class described, caliper-wheelsadapted to receive and support the perfect can-heads on edge betweenthem, an endless carrier for the caliper-wheels, means for rotating thecaliperwheels, the said endless carrier discharging the perfectcan-heads automatically at its downwardly-moving side, substantially asdescribed.

13. In combination an endless carrier caliper-wheels carried thereby,drive-wheels connected to the caliper-wheels and fixed means engagingsaid drive-wheels to turn the same as they are moved along by thecarrier, substantially as described.

14. In a machine of the class described, rotary caliper-wheels receivingthe can-head between them by which the can head is held by itsperiphery, if not defective, and means for feeding the can-heads intoposition between the oaliper-wheels, the said head passing between thesaid wheels, if defective, substantially as described.

In testimony whereof I afliX my signature in presence of two witnesses.

GEORGE H. STEI/VART.

Witnesses:

HENRY E. COOPER, EDWARD N. SARTON.

